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Mehanna Government Brief Case: 12-1461 Document: 00116514022 Page: 1 Date Filed: 04/08/2013 Entry ID: 5724362 NO. 12-1461 IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIRST CIRCUIT __________ UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, APPELLEE V. TAREK MEHANNA, APPELLANT __________ ON APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS __________ BRIEF FOR THE UNITED STATES __________ CARMEN M. ORTIZ MYTHILI RAMAN United States Attorney Acting Assistant Attorney General District of Massachusetts Criminal Division JOHN P. CARLIN DENIS J. MCINERNEY Acting Assistant Attorney Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General General Criminal Division National Security Division ELIZABETH D. COLLERY JOSEPH F. PALMER Attorney, Appellate Section JEFFREY D. GROHARING Criminal Division Attorneys U.S. Department of Justice National Security Division 950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Room 1264 Washington, DC 20530 (202) 353-3891 [email protected] Case: 12-1461 Document: 00116514022 Page: 2 Date Filed: 04/08/2013 Entry ID: 5724362 TABLE OF CONTENTS JURISDICTIONAL STATEMENT. ........................................................................ 1 STATEMENT OF THE ISSUES. ............................................................................ 1 STATEMENT OF THE CASE................................................................................. 3 STATEMENT OF FACTS. ...................................................................................... 6 1. Overview. ............................................................................................. 6 2. Mehanna Radicalizes: “Make Death What You Seek”. ....................... 7 3. Mehanna’s “Good Crew”. .................................................................. 10 4. The 9/11 Attacks: “This Mission So Blessed”. .................................. 10 5. Mehanna Goes To Yemen In Search Of Al-Qa’ida And Jihad: “We’re Actually Doing it”. ...................................................... 11 6. Doing What We Can “While We’re Stuck Here”. ............................. 18 A. Mehanna Trolls For New Jihadists Among Local Youth. ............................................................................ 19 B. Mehanna Joins the “Media Wing” of Al-Qa’ida In Iraq....................................................................................... 20 7. Maldonado Calls Mehanna To Jihad In Somalia: “There’s No Other Life Except For This”.......................................... 26 8. Mehanna Attempts To Avoid Detection, Lies To The FBI And Works To Get Everyone “On The Same Page”. ................. 28 9. The Defense Case............................................................................... 30 -i- Case: 12-1461 Document: 00116514022 Page: 3 Date Filed: 04/08/2013 Entry ID: 5724362 SUMMARY OF ARGUMENT. ............................................................................. 33 ARGUMENT.......................................................................................................... 39 I. MEHANNA’S “NON-SPEECH” CHALLENGES LACK MERIT. .............................................................................................. 39 A. Overwhelming Evidence Regarding The Yemen Trip Supports Mehanna’s Convictions On Counts I-IV. ................. 39 1. Standard Of Review....................................................... 39 2. The Purpose Of The Yemen Trip. ................................. 40 3. An Intent To Commit Murder. ...................................... 44 4. A Substantial Step. ........................................................ 45 5. An Al-Qa’ida Link......................................................... 47 6. Mehanna’s Claim That He Did Not Intend Or Agree To Kill While Abroad. ........................................ 48 7. The “Legal Impossibility” Claim................................... 49 B. The Attorney General Was Not Plainly Required To Issue A Certification Under 18 U.S.C. 2332(d) In Connection With Counts II and III. ......................................... 52 C. The Court Should Reject Mehanna’s Variance Claims And Evidentiary Challenges. ................................................... 53 1. Standards of Review...................................................... 53 2. Co-Conspirators In The United Kingdom. .................... 54 3. Evidence Regarding The Domestic Attacks. ................. 56 -ii- Case: 12-1461 Document: 00116514022 Page: 4 Date Filed: 04/08/2013 Entry ID: 5724362 4. Abousamra’s Trips To Pakistan. ................................... 57 5. Mehanna’s Discussion With Maldonado And Hammami. ..................................................................... 58 6. Abuzahra’s Statements To Masood About Why He Returned From Abroad. ........................................... 59 7. Abousamra’s Statements Before And After The Yemen Trip.................................................................... 60 II. THE COURT SHOULD REJECT MEHANNA’S FIRST AMENDMENT ARGUMENTS........................................................ 61 A. Mehanna’s Sufficiency-Of-The-Evidence Challenge. ............. 61 1. The Jury’s General Guilty Verdicts On Counts I-III Eliminate Any Sufficiency Challenge Related To Mehanna’s “Speech” Activities........................................................................ 61 2. The Evidence Relating To Mehanna’s Propaganda Campaign Was Sufficient To Sustain The Jury’s Verdicts On Counts I-III. ..................................... 63 a. Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project. ................. 63 b. The Sufficiency Of The Evidence........................ 66 B. Mehanna’s Jury Instruction Challenges.................................... 69 1. No Instructional Error Occurred..................................... 71 2. Any Instructional Error Relating To Mehanna’s Propaganda Activities Was Harmless............................. 75 -iii- Case: 12-1461 Document: 00116514022 Page: 5 Date Filed: 04/08/2013 Entry ID: 5724362 III. MEHANNA’S TRIAL ERROR CLAIMS LACK MERIT. ............... 77 A. The District Court Properly Admitted Evidence Under Fed. R. Evid. 403. .......................................................... 77 B. No Brady Violation Occurred................................................... 86 C. The District Court Did Not Abuse Its Discretion In Excluding Expert Testimony. ................................................... 88 1. Background..................................................................... 88 2. Discussion....................................................................... 89 IV. MEHANNA’S LIES ABOUT MALDONADO WERE MATERIAL. ....................................................................................... 92 V. MEHANNA’S “SPILLOVER” CLAIM LACKS MERIT. ................ 94 VI. MEHANNA’S BELOW-GUIDELINES SENTENCE SHOULD BE UPHELD....................................................................................... 95 A. The Sentencing Proceeding....................................................... 95 B. Discussion. ................................................................................ 98 CONCLUSION...................................................................................................... 101 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE..................................................................... 103 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE. ............................................................................. 104 -iv- Case: 12-1461 Document: 00116514022 Page: 6 Date Filed: 04/08/2013 Entry ID: 5724362 TABLE OF AUTHORITIES FEDERAL CASES Bachellar v. Maryland, , 397 U.S. 564 (1970). ....................................................... 69 Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963). ............................................................. 3, 87 Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969)............................................................. 65 Brogan v. United States, 522 U.S. 398 (1998)......................................................... 93 Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579 (1993).............................................................................................. 88 Dennis v. United States, 341 U.S. 494 (1951). ........................................................ 62 Griffin v. United States, 502 U.S. 46 (1991)...................................................... 62, 69 Hedgpeth v. Pulido, 555 U.S. 57 (2008).................................................................. 75 Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project, 130 S.Ct. 2705 (2010). ........................ passim Kumho Tire Co. v. Carmichael, 526 U.S. 137 (1999). ............................................ 89 Kungys v. United States, 485 U.S. 759 (1988)......................................................... 93 McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, 540 U.S. 93 (2003)........................... 67 Neder v. United States, 527 U.S. 1 (1999)......................................................... 75, 76 Peugh v. United States, Supreme Court No. 12-42................................................ 100 Pinkerton v. United States, 328 U.S. 640 (1946)..................................................... 45 Skilling v. United States, 130 S.Ct. 2896 (2010)...................................................... 75 -v- Case: 12-1461 Document: 00116514022 Page: 7 Date Filed: 04/08/2013 Entry ID: 5724362 Smith v. Cain, 132 S.Ct. 627 (2012). ....................................................................... 87 United States v. Abu Jihaad, 630 F.3d 102 (2d Cir. 2010) . ............................. 82, 84 United States v. Al-Moayad, 545 F.3d 139 (2d Cir. 2008). ....................................
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